Pig, hog numbers up in New York state

New York State -- The number of hogs and pigs in New York state increased this year.

Pork producers in New York owned 108,000 hogs and pigs as of Dec. 1, said King Whetstone, director of U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York office.

This total was up 40 percent from the 77,000 head on hand a year earlier.

Of the current inventory, 12,000 hogs are for breeding purposes, up 1,000 head from the
previous December. The remaining 96,000 hogs and pigs, raised for home use or the slaughter
market, increased by 30,000 head from a year ago.